Food and Family Videos

Thursday, June 19, 2014

It’s a "berry" sweet story of strawberry
shortcake. The ‘culinary guru’ and award winning cookbook author, together
with Driscoll’s offers everything you ever wanted to know about shortcake but
were afraid to bake!

For over 100 years,
Driscoll’s farm fresh strawberries have been a part of some variety of a
shortcake recipe.
Greenspan, who says she adores baking for the love of creating and the joy of
sharing, serves up shortcake in a variety of desserts.

Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan
Photo courtesy of Driscoll

One recipe that really caught
my eye was the Strawberry Shortcake Skillet Cobbler. I’ve had many varieties of
shortcake, but never one that incorporated corn meal into the batter. My
interest was peaked, and what better day to give it a try than National
Strawberry Shortcake Day!

I was won over with this
recipe. I made a slight change by adding two pints of Driscoll’s fresh red
raspberries (my love of raspberries!) and the next time I may even add a pint
of fresh blueberries.

This is a wonderful summer
time recipe. It’s not too sweet and the corn meal shortcake goes well with the
juiciness of the berries. Top it off with a dollop of sweet whipped cream and
you’ll be back for seconds.Check out my step-by-step photo gallery of this recipe here.

Whisk together flour,
cornmeal, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.
Add butter and salt and cut into flour mixture with a pastry cutter or your
fingers until the butter is incorporated. Whisk egg and milk together in a
small bowl. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture.

Scrape strawberries
and juices into prepared skillet. Drop batter by the spoonful on top of
strawberries.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the shortcake cobbler is golden brown. Remove pan from oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Use a hand mixer to beat cream and confectioners' sugar until thickened. Spoon cobbler into serving dishes and top with sweetened whipped cream.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Summer time. Warm weather, ice cream, dreamy desserts and Mackinac Island. Hudsonville Ice Cream, Michigan’s largest manufacturers of branded ice cream offers a full line of ice cream flavors. From their rich and creamy Vanilla and Chocolate Cravings flavors to their specialty and Limited Time only line.They even have a specialty flavor for the sports fan - filled will chocolate covered baseball pretzels and smooth gooey fudge - Tiger Traxx made me a fan! Or how about taking a vacation without leaving the house with Grand Traverse Bay Cherry Fudge. A creamy amaretto ice cream, loaded with chunks of cherries and fudge.

A new addition to their specialty line this summer is Grand Hotel Pecan Ball.

Partnering with the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island for the Grand Opening of Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor, Hudsonville has replicated the deliciousness of the hotel’s famous pecan ball dessert. Starting with their very own rich Vanilla ice cream and adding genuine Grand Hotel fudge and pecan pieces - this specialty ice cream is served in the Grand Hotel’s dining room and five restaurants located on Mackinac Island - and of course – Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor.

My favorite has to be the Pure Michigan Double Berry Pie. Hudsonville's original creamy Vanilla loaded with swirls of blueberries and strawberries and filled with real pieces of pie crust.And because it is my favorite, I turned it into a dessert that's perfect for a summer treat or that special birthday celebration.

Double Berry Pie Ice Cream Cake

Pure Michigan Double Berry Pie Ice Cream CakeIngredients1 carton Hudsonville Double Berry Pie ice cream1 box strawberry flavored cake mix1 container Cool Whip frosting1 pint fresh Driscoll's raspberries2 eggs1/2 cup water1/3 cup oilDirectionsPrepare two or three 9 inch round cake pans by spraying bottom and sides with cooking spray.In medium size bowl, prepare cake mix according to directions on box. Bake and completely cool cake layers.While cake layers are cooling, empty carton of Double Berry Pie Ice Cream into large bowl and set aside to soften (do not let the ice cream melt).Wrap cake layers individually in plastic wrap and place in freezer until frozen (about an hour). Once frozen, remove one cake layer from freezer and place on a cake plate. Ice cream should be soft but not melted. Gently stir and mix ice cream and spread onto first cake layer.(Work fast, ice cream will start melting) Form, fill and smooth until you have a large layer of ice cream. Remove second cake layer from freezer and place on layer of ice cream. (If using three layers, divide ice cream between layers). Immediately put back in freezer and allow to refreeze. Once refrozen, remove from freezer along with the Cool whip frosting and completely frost top and sides using entire carton. Decorate with Driscoll's raspberries and return to freezer.

To serveCut desired number of slices and place on serving plates, returning unused cake to freezer. Allow slices to thaw about 5 to 7 minutes before serving.Note: Your freezer should be set very cold so that the ice cream begins refreezing immediately.Enjoy!